Scrolling through TikTok, I see many people claim that they were “born in the wrong generation.” While that may be the case for them, but definitely not for me. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be born in a world that has an electric wine opener for $25 on Amazon.
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After seeing the viral “random things that have made my life better” trend, I started thinking about how most of the items that have improved mine (and are further evidence that my taste matches my generation) are tech items. From my electric wine opener to my JBL Clip 4 Speaker, here are some tech items that, while together might seem random, make my life just a bit better.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
A listening essential
Make listening to music easy
- Pocketable for travel
- Easy connectivity
- ANC and transparency mode are both powerful
- Best for Apple users
- Pricey
My AirPods Pro are by far the one tech item, aside from my smartphone, that I cannot live without. Countless times I recall leaving my apartment, realizing I had forgotten my AirPods then turning back around to go get them. Not only are AirPods Pro easily compatible with my iPhone, but the different noise-canceling capabilities make it easy to go between turning noise-canceling on or off while I’m out.
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AirPods Pro’s sound quality still holds up nearly two years after purchasing, plus the 6-hour battery life allows me to listen to plenty of music without having to worry about needing to find an outlet while I’m out.
Admittedly, I also bought the AirPods Max on Black Friday, which I now use interchangeably with my AirPods Pro, but I still prefer earbuds over the over-the-ear headphones due to their pocketability and power, especially while I’m traveling.
Casetify Airline Tags Phone Case
Protect and express
Protecting your phone while sharing a little bit about yourself
- Durable
- Fun design
- Conversation starter
A phone case may seem like an overly basic piece of tech, but my Casetify Airline Tag phone case truly is one of my favorite tech accessories I own. It wasn’t until I started writing about and reviewing phone cases that I began to realize phone cases are an underused medium for expressing personal style. My Casetify Airline Tag phone case not only protects my phone to the max, but also showcases one of my passions: travel.
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The case that boasts airline tags from all over the world has proven to be a huge conversation starter. Everyone who asks about the case usually asks me if I’ve ever been to any of the places displayed on the case, which leads into a fun conversation about my past and my travel plans for the future. Plus, it does a great job at protecting my phone as I globe-trot.
Electrohome Kingston Record Player
My favorite way to listen to albums
A speaker, vinyl player and radio all in one
- Rich sound
- Bluetooth capacity
- Speaker and record player
Setting a calming vibe in my apartment is one of my favorite ways to unwind at the end of the day. Usually I light a candle, make some food and, of course, put on some of my favorite records. A music-lover at heart, the Electrohome Kingston Record Player was one of the first items I tested when I began my tech journalism career, and almost two years later, I’m still just as impressed. Prior to this mammoth of a record player, I only ever owned cheaper record players from Amazon or Urban Outfitters. So, the Kingston Record Player truly changed the game for me and showed me what real vinyl quality sounds like. Both as a speaker and record player, the sound is rich and smooth.
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The Kingston isn’t just a record player, it also includes a built-in radio and has Bluetooth capability to act as a speaker, so you can play music straight from your phone. Unsurprisingly, the sound on the Kingston record player is great. Whether you choose to spin a record, listen to AM or FM radio or connect to your Bluetooth, the sound stays consistent. On the front of the record player there are knobs to turn the volume up or down, giving you more control over the volume than other record players allow for. The biggest downside to the Kingston is the amount of space it takes up. Although you’ll need a nice side table to rest the record player on, it’s well worth it.
Essential Oil Diffuser
Great for setting a calming vibe
Set the atmosphere with any scent of your choice
- Calming smell and lights
- Easy to use
- Not as many smart features as other diffusers
As I mentioned, I love to set a calming vibe in my apartment as a way to relax at the end of the day and there’s no better way to do that than using an essential oil diffuser. An essential oil diffuser allows you to choose from any scent of your choice (I prefer eucalyptus or lavender) to diffuse throughout your room. An essential oil diffuser also makes for a perfect winter necessity to help add humidity to the dry cold air. I love this specific one from Amazon because it also includes an LED light, so it can give your room a nice glow at night.
Fujifilm X-T200
Make memories more aesthetic
Best way to work on your photography
- High quality pictures
- Portable
Two years ago, I bought my first proper digital camera, the Fujifilm X-T200. The amount of features on this camera overwhelmed me at first, but now I’ve taken the time to learn the ins and outs of the camera, and it’s become an absolute essential for me. My friends and I always use the Fujifilm X-T200 for photo shoots or to capture the world around us as we travel in a bit higher quality than our phones.
The Fujifilm X-T200 has an LCD touch screen, face/eye detection, the ability to record in 4k video and built-in Wi-Fi. There’s also a Fujifilm app you can download on your iOS or Android device which allows you to easily download pictures using the camera’s Wi-Fi. The app does take a long time to download the photos, so I recommend getting an SD card reader that connects to either your laptop or your phone. Below is a picture I took on the Fujifilm X-t200.
Electric Wine Opener
Stop struggling to open wine
Make drinking easier
$26 $30 Save $4
- Easy to use
- Budget friendly
- Charging station takes up counter space
An electric wine opener might be embarrassing to include as one of my tech essentials, but an electric wine bottle opener truly has made my life so much better. I’m not the biggest wine drinker, but when I do indulge in a wine night, there’s nothing more humiliating to me than trying to open a wine bottle using a corkscrew. I don’t know why, but the ability to open a wine bottle like a classy adult is not a strength of mine. So when my friend gifted me an electric wine opener, my life was changed for the better.
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The Secura Electric Wine Opener has an excellent battery life and can open 30 bottles of wine with a single charge. All you need to do is put the opener on top of the corkscrew, press a button and then your bottle is open. It’s easy and saves yourself any possible embarrassment when trying to gracefully open a wine bottle.
Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover
My beauty go-to
An easy way to clean up stray hairs
- Easy to use
- Long battery life
One thing I’ve always been super self-conscious about is any facial hair I may have. Coming from Italian ancestry, an abundance of hair is something that’s built into my genes. Unlike men, I can’t just take a razor and shave my face, which always left me wondering how to get rid of the annoying little hairs that pop up at the most inconvenient time. That was until I began using the finishing touch, a flawless hair removal device.
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The device has a stainless steel blade meant for hair removal which trims peach fuzz on your lips, chin, cheeks and neck. The device can also be used to clean up your eyebrows, so you can save money instead of getting your eyebrows waxed every two to three weeks. It’s not a direct replacement, but it gets the job done and is good for simple maintenence.
JBL Clip 4
Listen on the go
Bring booming sound wherever you go
$45 $80 Save $35
- Audio not as loud as bigger speakers
I firmly believe that everyone should own at least one speaker. It doesn’t have to be a massive $300 speaker that blasts music through the whole house, owning any sort of speaker will always liven up any room. The JBL Clip 4 has been my favorite speaker to bring with me on any vacation, beach trip or hike. The speaker can easily clip onto your bag without adding a lot of extra weight. I’ve brought the speaker with me on nearly every trip I’ve gone on, hikes and to hangouts with my friends.
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As far as sound quality goes, the saying “good things come in small packages” rings true for this speaker. The quality is a lot better than you would think it would be for a speaker this small. While the sound won’t be loud enough for throwing a house party, it’s loud enough for small pregames and relaxing on the beach.
